When application specific integrated circuits (ASICS) or Platform ASICs are implemented in multi-chip modules (MCM) there can be many supply voltages needed due to the mix of technology used. For example, when 90 nm and 0.13 micron technologies are used in the same package, multiple core and I/O voltages (i.e., 1.0, 1.2, or 1.5) are used. In addition, power is often wasted because I/Os typically are designed to drive package, electrostatic discharge protection circuitry (ESD) and board loads, which are much higher in capacitance than the load seen in an MCM.
Conventional solutions use multiple supply voltages and deal with unnecessary power dissipation on a case by case basis. However, providing multiple supply voltages can add cost to the system and complicate board design.
It would be desirable to implement configurable I/Os to operate with different supply voltages that may be used in multi-chip modules.